The purpose of this Notice is to inform potential applicants that the National Eye Institute (NEI) will participate, effective immediately, in PAR-19-135, "Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools (R15 Clinical Trial Required)".

The following sections of PA-19-129 have been modified (shown in italics):

Part 1. Overview Information

Components of Participating Organizations

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
National Cancer Institute (NCI)National Eye Institute (NEI)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute(NHLBI)
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism ( NIAAA )

The NEI supports a broad range of basic and clinical research, clinical trials, epidemiologic studies related to health and disease in the eye and visual system.Research proposed should address a significant aspect of the leading causes of blindness and impaired vision, mechanisms of visual function, preservation of sight, or the special health problems and requirements of the blind.

Under this FOA, the NEI will consider clinical trials that are mechanistic or minimal risk and that are consistent with the NEI's research goals. A mechanistic trial is defined as "A study designed to understand a biological or behavioral process, the pathophysiology of a disease, or the mechanism of action of an intervention". "Minimal risk" means that the probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort anticipated in the research are not greater than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests.